As writers we will use the following techniques: annotation, text-marking, note-taking and story-mapping. We will produce narratives, a biography, a persuasive argument and poetry (e.g. kennings or haiku).

As readers we will read ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell as well as non-fiction texts based on survival, evolution and inheritance. We will read about the Amazon Rainforest and find out about important scientists and conservationists. We will read widely about the issue of deforestation.

As mathematicians we will extend and apply our understanding of mathematics across the curriculum including grid references, measurement, geometry and statistics.

As scientists and historians, we will learn about evolution and inheritance. We will explore how Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution and examine the scientific evidence that has been gathered to support it. We will look at the significant work of Mary Anning and Alfred Wallace and study living things and their habitats in more detail. We will also consider the life and work of the eminent scientists Libbie Hyman and Mary Leakey. We will also be looking at adaptation and how animals have evolved to their habitat.

As geographers we will use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate various places and create our own OS style maps. We will explore the physical and human geography of the Amazon Rainforest in comparison to a more local rainforest. We will research what life is like for tribal people in the Amazon and evaluate the key threats to their existence. We will look at current issues of nature conservation versus economic development and human progress and draw conclusions.

As artists and designers, we will create sketch books to record our observations and use them to review and revisit ideas, as well exploring printing and collage related to the Amazon Rainforest through the artwork of Nixiwaka Yawanawa and John Dyer.